Us Against The World
by 1stBatgirl
Summary: A story of the Maximoff twins and how they came to work with Hydra. Rated T for mild violence in later chapters (not gory violence) *Now complete and sequel is up*
1. They'll Never Split Us Apart

Chapter One: They'll Never Split Us Apart

"Ello mate." Sixteen year old, Wanda Maximoff began, trying out her new English.

"You will most definitely fit in better with that." Her twin brother, Pietro teased her. She made a face at him and turned back to the mirror she was practicing in front of.

"Howdy." Wanda said hesitantly, still sounding out the strange word. She sighed and tossed her brother an exasperated look. "Does that sound American?"

Her brother shrugged. "How should I know?"

He did have a point. Both of them were just learning English and they had never been to the states before today. They were meeting a family who was interested in adopting them. The adopting agency had taken them from their home country of Sokovia after they had been found wandering around on the streets.

This family was their last shot for adoption or they could be thrown out on the streets. Plus, since they were minors, they didn't really have a say in anything that happened to them. Although, Wanda hoped they had a little say in who adopted them.

Wanda was very nervous and she could tell her brother was too. This family could adopt both of them or just one of them. They didn't want to be split apart. "It will be all right." She reassured her brother, laying a hand on his arm.

He forced a laugh. "Of course it will." A knock on the door startled them both and Pietro hurried to open it. They both plastered smiles on their faces and followed their social worker, Beth, out to the car.

The ride to the family's house was silent with built up tension. Wanda and Pietro sat in the back, what little luggage they had in the trunk. They were sitting at opposite ends of the back seat but they were clutching each other's hand tightly, just out of sight of Beth.

They pulled to a stop in front of a pristine looking house. It was painted white with red shutters and didn't even look like it had been lived in. In short, it was spotless.

The long wraparound porch held a nice deck chair and bright flowers were positioned along the sidewalk leading up to the house. Wanda gave Pietro a reassuring smile and squeezed his hand before they both climbed out.

Their potential new family was gathered on the porch standing in an impossibly straight line. A man, who Wanda figured was the father, introduced himself as Walter, his wife as Monica, and their two children as Alaina and Timothy.

Monica examined the twins, quite critically, Wanda thought. She had thought that her clothes and Pietro's were suitable, but maybe they weren't. Wanda glanced at Pietro's outfit, which consisted of a white track shirt and blue sweats.

Looking down at her own red dress and black jacket, Wanda suddenly felt very unconfident in her appearance. Monica and Walter stared at them for a few more seconds before inviting them inside.

Monica passed out cups of lemonade and everyone sat around the kitchen table. Wanda had to admit, it was a nice place. Yellow lace curtains hung on the windows, and the kitchen was very big. It had all the newest stainless steel kitchen appliances. The kitchen was connected to the living room which was very clean. One of the things that Wanda had noticed about the house, was that everything was spotless. From the white couch and carpet to the bathroom Wanda saw around the corner.

"Excuse me, girl, are you listening to me?"

Wanda realized that Walter had been speaking to her and she gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, sir, I did not know you were speaking to me."

"I was asking if you can do household chores, like cooking and cleaning?" Walter repeated himself, sending her a disapproving look. Wanda nodded. "Yes, I can clean. Although, I don't really know how to cook, I can learn fast."

After another hour of questions for Wanda and Pietro, Monica stood and motioned for her family to do the same. She addressed the social worker, ignoring the twins. "We've decided that we will only take one of the twins. "

"Only one of the twins…." The words echoed over and over in Wanda's ears. She heard her heart pounding loudly. This couldn't be happening. She looked at her brother and saw that his panicked face mirrored her own.

She had to fight for her family. At least what little family she had left. Wanda stood and addressed Monica and Walter somewhat angrily. "Do we not have a say in this? I want to stay with my brother. We don't want to be split apart."

"It's not up to you." Monica cut in rudely. "We're taking either you or your brother and since you've got such a big mouth, we probably won't be choosing you."

Wanda couldn't let her brother stay here with these people. They had to get out of here. She glanced at her brother and tried to communicate with her eyes that they needed to run. He seemed to get the message and he nodded at her, determination gleaming in his blue eyes.

"Well that's that." Monica said, rubbing her hands together, like she could wash her hands of the situation.

Wanda nodded at her brother, then took off running. A second later, she heard Pietro run after her. She stopped at the gate so he could catch up and they both vaulted the gate together.

Running at their top speed, they didn't even look back. Wanda vaguely heard shouting and a car being started.

They cut through the woods next to the house and didn't stop until the sun was setting. By now, they were both trudging along, too exhausted to move very quickly. Pietro was shivering so Wanda put her arm around his shaking shoulders. "We should stop for the night." She told him softly.

Pietro didn't argue. He dropped to the ground and in minutes he was fast asleep. Wanda took off her black jacket and put it around him to warm him up.

As she watched him sleep, she knew that she would do anything to protect her brother. Even if he was twelve minutes older than her. Wanda stroked his face softly and eventually laid down next to him.

Wanda opened her eyes and immediately closed them again. The sun was shining brightly in her eyes. She forced her eyes open again and shook Pietro awake.

Pietro woke up, looking disheveled, but when he saw Wanda he grinned. "So they didn't find us, I guess." Suddenly his face turned worried. "What if they find us and split us up?"

Wanda put her arms around him. "I won't let them. They can never split us up. Ever."

Pietro smiled. "I won't let anyone split us up either." He shook himself out of her grasp. "Come on. Let's go find a stream and get some fish."

Wanda laughed lightly. "Of course you're thinking about food. Let's go."

The two siblings walked arm in arm, content in the knowledge that they would never let anyone split them apart.

* * *

 _A.N- Please, please review. I love reviews so much :D I like to hear if I'm doing okay or not._


	2. A New Addition

Chapter Two: A New Addition

Wanda woke to pouring rain. Great. She quickly shook Pietro awake and they took off running, searching for shelter. After ten minutes of frantically racing here and there and brushing water out of their eyes, they stumbled upon a small cave.

They ran into the cave and huddled together for warmth. "Do you know how to start a fire?" Pietro asked, his teeth chattering.

Wanda shook her head. "No. But I have seen someone do it on TV once at the orphanage. They took two rocks and rubbed them together." She frowned at the sun. "But they also needed sunlight." She shrugged. "I wish I had paid more attention."

Pietro sighed. "Let's get closer so we can warm up." He scooted back against the side of the cave and motioned for Wanda to lean against him. He was the taller of the twins and he was older by twelve minutes, a fact that he liked to remind Wanda of frequently.

She settled against his chest and he rested his hand on her back. She soon fell asleep and Pietro eventually followed her.

Pietro was startled awake. Was that barking he heard? Wanda must have heard it too because she lifted her head. "What is it?" She asked groggily.

Pietro had no time to answer. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dog bounded into the cave. Wanda jumped up. "A dog!" She exclaimed happily.

The dog jumped around joyfully. Pietro smiled and patted him on the head. "He's kind of cute, don't you think?"

"He's adorable." Wanda replied, rubbing the dog's belly.

"We should name him." Pietro said. "Since he's black maybe something like Blackie?"

Wanda made a face. "Blackie is so ordinary. We have to do something unique."

"How about Bandit?" Pietro suggested. "Because we didn't even see him until he was right here. He was like a little bandit."

"I like it." Wanda decided. "I only hope that he will stay with us."

Over the next few days as Wanda and Pietro gathered berries and drank water from the stream, Bandit followed them everywhere. They gave Bandit a helping of everything and he caught some rabbits for them. Wanda finally figured out how to start a fire after several days so could cook the rabbits.

"You know, it is not so bad here." Pietro said one day as he, Wanda and Bandit were relaxing by the stream.

"Yes." Wanda tossed a rock into the stream. "No one makes us do things we don't want to do out here." She patted Bandit's head. "And we have a new friend."

Pietro laid on his back. "He's more like family."

"That's right." Wanda agreed. "A new addition to our family."

 _A.N- Future chapters will be longer. I am almost done school; I just have to finish up. Whoever said homeschoolers have it easy were wrong. XD I'll try to update again soon, thank you all so much for the reviews and follows/favorites. I always appreciate reviews and I read each and every one of them(sometimes twice) Goodnight everyone!_


	3. All's Well that Ends Well, Right?

Chapter Three: All's Well That Ends Well….Right?

Wanda splashed her face with water and sighed. Living away from the city had its benefits, but it also had disadvantages. Cleaning in the river was one disadvantage. Another was the lack of food.

She and her brother had been living here in the forest for two months now and Wanda was growing a little tired of it. She shivered and drew her tattered cloak closer around her. Winter was coming, and it would be a lot harder to live outside with no protection.

The sound of barking made Wanda turn around and smile. Her brother, Pietro, and their puppy, Bandit, were chasing each other around the trees. Her smile faded as she noticed Pietro's outfit. It was just as tattered as hers.

She always felt responsible for her brother even though he was older than her by twelve minutes. With all her heart, she wished she could give him some decent clothes, at least.

Maybe it was time to find a home. Staying in the forest for the rest of their lives wasn't exactly a good idea. She would run the idea past her brother and see what he thought about it. "Pietro?" She called. "Can you come here for a minute?"

Pietro ran up to her, the dog not far behind him. "You called?" He said, a dorky grin on his face.

"I was thinking that it might be time for us to find somewhere to live." Wanda told him.

"We have somewhere to live already."

"But, Pietro, we can't just stay here our whole lives. Soon, it will be winter and food will be very scarce. We have to be practical."

Pietro let out a deep sigh. "Where would we go? We are thirteen years old and there is two of us. I do not think anyone would adopt us."

Wanda shrugged and looked down to hide her doubt. "It's the only thing we can do."

Pietro didn't argue, which told her that he thought she was right."We'll leave in the morning." He conceded.

Wanda smiled. "Thanks, brother."

The next day, bright and early, Wanda, Pietro and Bandit set off to look for somewhere they could stay. They came upon a bakery with a cheery yellow color.

After inquiring inside, they learned that the bakery wasn't hiring; and even if they were, they wouldn't want two thirteen year olds. They tried several places, but they got the same result. Discouraged, they walked along the side of the road.

Wanda turned a corner and was immediately grabbed by a man. A hand was clamped over her mouth, so her screams were muffled. A glance at Pietro told her that he was getting the same treatment. Bandit was barking ferociously at the man.

"Shut up mutt." The man growled, raising his foot to kick the dog. Wanda pulled his hand away from her mouth. "Don't you dare." She snapped.

The man relented, lowering his foot. He motioned for his two men to set Wanda and Pietro down in an alley. Then, to Wanda's complete and utter shock, the man laughed.

He let out a hearty laugh, and his other men followed his example.

"I don't really see the humor." Pietro deadpanned.

"Sorry." The man chuckled. "It's just that you are very feisty. You're probably wondering why I brought you both here." The man began. "Well, I need two kids to do some jobs for me."

"And what would those jobs me?" Wanda asked suspiciously.

"I need two kids who are good at pick pocketing."

"You want us to be thieves?" Wanda's glare could practically freeze a volcano.

The man shrugged. "I think you need a job, don't you? I don't think anyone else will hire two little kids."

Wanda didn't want this. In fact, she hated it. But he had a point. Pietro sent her a look that said he felt the same way.

"Fine." Wanda agreed. "We will help you."

"Perfect." The man smiled. "My name's Robert by the way. I'll show you to your quarters."

The two unwilling teens and dog followed Robert through the alley and to a fairly nice home. Wanda was in awe. "You live here?"

"Yes." Robert laughed at her expression. "Pick pocketing is pretty fruitful."

He ushered them inside. The ceiling held a chandelier, and the walls were painted a soft white. An expensive looking couch sat in the corner and a red carpet led from the doorway up a flight of stairs.

"The kitchen is off to the left." Robert said, pointing to a doorway. "And there are several bathrooms; one on this floor and two upstairs."

"You rooms are upstairs." He continued, walking up the stairs. "The dog can sleep in your room with you. Breakfast is whenever you wake up in the morning." He motioned toward a blonde man standing in the corner. "Franz isn't bad at making omelets."

He stopped in the doorway of a white and blue room. "This can be yours kid." He said, turning towards Pietro. "I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Pietro and this is my sister Wanda." Pietro supplied.

"Great. Your sister's room is across the hall from yours." He showed Wanda a red and white room. "Not a bad life, huh?" After a few more comments, he left them to get settled into their new home.

Wanda couldn't help but gasp as she entered her room. The bed had a bright red comforter and a zebra blanket at the foot of the bed. A white canopy stretched over the top of the bed. A mini chandelier hung above the bed and a bedside table held a lamp.

A window on the wall almost took up the whole wall. There was also a black desk with a matching desk chair, and a roomy closet.

Wanda looked in Pietro's room and saw that it was set up much like hers. Except it did not have a chandelier or a canopy; instead, above the bed hung three lights. His comforter was a dark blue that matched the walls.

"Maybe it won't be so bad here." Pietro said hopefully.

"I do not like the idea of stealing." Wanda responded.

"Yes." Pietro sighed. "I do not like it either."

Wanda leaned down to pet Bandit. "I think I will go to bed now. Good night."

"Good night, Wanda."

* * *

 _A.N- Please review! Thank you all so much for the reviews, follows and favorites. I won't be able to update for a week because I'm going to camp. Sorry :(_

 _Somehow along the way, I think this turned into a story rather than a series of oneshots haha. Oh well._


	4. Learning The Ropes

Chapter Four: Learning The Ropes

Wanda was rather disoriented when she woke up in a huge soft bed. It took her a moment to remember where she was. The scent of bacon drifted towards her and she inhaled deeply, realizing that she was very hungry.

She sat up in bed and stretched; then took her time in the bathroom connected to her room. On a hunch, she opened the closet and discovered several outfits. She put on a bright red shirt and black jeans.

Making her way downstairs, she threw her hair up in a quick ponytail. Pietro was already seated at a table in the kitchen, his plate piled high with bacon, eggs and pancakes. The joy on his face warmed Wanda's heart.

The blonde cook, Franz, was expertly flipping pancakes. He noticed Wanda take a seat at the table. "Would you like a pancake, Miss?"

"Yes, please." Wanda replied, surprised that he was so polite. Soon, her plate held eggs, bacon, and two pancakes. Wanda devoured all of her food and sat back contentedly. "Thank you." She told Franz who nodded at her and grinned.

Robert entered the room, and filled a plate with food. "So here's the plan today," He said, around a mouthful of eggs. "You will be picking the pockets of really young kids who aren't paying attention to their surroundings. We'll practice, of course, before I send you out there."

He finished the last of his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Follow me."

Wanda and Pietro obediently stood up and trailed after him. He led them into the living room. "I'll just show you the basics. Wanda," He motioned with his hand. "Come here and stand beside me please."

"Let me give you a demonstration," Robert continued. "So I bump the person in a place not near their wallet, just acting like I am scooting past them."

He lightly bumped into Wanda's shoulder. "And while they are distracted, just reach inside their pocket and take their wallet." He slipped his hand into Wanda's jeans pocket and retrieved a ponytail. "Or, in this case, a ponytail." He chuckled at his own joke.

Wanda didn't respond. She was too busy being upset about what she and her brother what have do to. Taking money from anyone was bad enough. But taking money from children? Even worse.

"I can see you have doubts." Robert begins. "But you will have a good life here. Most kids won't even miss the money."

Wanda frowned, not convinced.

"Look kid," Robert rubbed his face and sighed. "You have to do what you have to do to survive, okay? Be ready in twenty minutes." With that, he exited the room.

Pietro put a comforting hand on Wanda's shoulder. For once, he didn't say anything. But he didn't need to.

Wanda stood up. "I better finish getting ready." She said in a subdued tone. She and Pietro left and retuned in ten minutes, announcing that they were ready.

They met Robert out front and he led them through the winding streets, explaining that they would pick pockets at the subway. He boarded the subway, with Wanda and Pietro not far behind him.

They took seats in the back of the bus. "You see that girl," Robert whispered, pointing a little blonde girl in pigtails, fingering some cash in her pocket. "Go get her cash, Wanda."

Wanda reluctantly stood and made her way over to the little girl. With a lurch the bus pulled away from the curb, and Wanda used that opportunity to 'accidentally' bump into the girl. She snatched the girl's cash out of her pocket, mumbled an apology, and returned to her seat.

Robert gave her a nod of approval and patted her on the back. Wanda shrugged him off and sank into her seat.

It was Pietro's turn. He saw a little boy with a lollipop holding some dollar bills. He used the same technique as Wanda; he pretended to stumble, took the money from the boy and came back to the seat.

They did this the rest of the day, boarding random buses and picking people's pockets.

They got off the bus at the next stop. "Good job, kids." Robert congratulated them. "Let's go back to the house and get something to eat." He draped an arm around each of them and guided them back to the house.

His men were waiting for them when they got back. "Franz prepared an awesome chicken dinner." One of the men, Thomas, told them. "How did the kids do?"

Robert patted Pietro on the back. "They did great. Tell Franz to make some chocolate cake to celebrate." He turned to Wanda and Pietro. "You kids can go relax some before dinner."

Wanda trudged up the stairs to her room and flopped on the bed. Pietro followed her in and sat next to her. "It will be okay." He didn't sound like he quite believed that himself.

"I hate myself right now." Wanda told him sadly. "What we are doing is not something our parents would be proud of."

Pietro hung his head. "I know, you're right."

Wanda sighed heavily. "We'll talk more later. Let's go eat dinner."

They quickly finished their dinner and came back upstairs. "I'm going to go to sleep." Wanda said with a yawn.

She glanced at Pietro, who was lingering in the doorway, and gave him a questioning look.

He shrugged in response to her silent question. "I kind of wanted to stay in here with you."

Wanda nodded. "I know what you mean. This place can be strange sometimes."

He climbed under the blanket with her. "Do you remember that song that Mother used to sing to us?"

"Yes."

"Can you sing it?"

"Of course." Wanda cleared her throat. "Ты-моё солнышко, моё еденственное солнышко. Ты радуешь меня когда небо хмурое. Ты никогда не узнаешь как сильно я люблю тебя. Пожалуйста не забирай моё солнышко."

Pietro was asleep by the time she finished. Wanda smiled and laid back down, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

 _A.N:_

 _The song is You Are My Sunshine in Russian. Since Sokovia isn't a real country, it doesn't have a real language so I just made the language Russian._

 _Translation of song: You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray._

 _You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away._

 _Wow, I can't believe how many review, follows and favorites I have! Thank you all so much! Please keep it up :D_


	5. Birthday Celebration

Chapter Five: Birthday Celebration

Wanda bolted out of her bed and ran to look at the calendar hanging on her wall. Yes, today , April 22, was her birthday! Well, hers and her brother's birthday. Since they were twins and all.

She ran to Pietro's room to wake him up and found him already awake and sitting on the edge of his bed. He smiled at her when she came in.

Wanda gently alighted next to him on the bed. "Do you miss Mother and Father too?"

Pietro nodded and swiped at his eyes. "I wish they were here to celebrate our birthday with us."

"Me too." Wanda said softly. She took Pietro's hand in hers and squeezed it. They sat that way for a while until Wanda could smell breakfast cooking.

"We should go eat." Wanda told Pietro with a small smile. "We would not want to miss our birthday breakfast."

Pietro grinned. "Yes. I think I smell pancakes."

It didn't take them long to find out that it was indeed pancakes that were cooking. Chocolate chip pancakes to be exact. Wanda and Pietro thanked Franz and eagerly dug in.

In the four months that they had been there, they had discovered that Franz was an exceptionally good cook. He was originally from Germany, where he went to cooking school and then he came to America.

Robert entered the room then. "Ahh, it's the birthday kids!" He wrapped his arms around Pietro and Wanda. "So how old are you guys today?"

"Fourteen." Pietro answered, his mouth filled with pancakes.

"I think I'll have some of those pancakes, they're looking pretty good." Robert took a seat and tucked his napkin into his shirt.

After his first bite, he gave a sigh of pleasure and thanked Franz repeatedly. "Too bad you guys can't have birthdays every day." He joked, shoveling more pancakes in his mouth. "So what's on the menu for today?"

Wanda was confused. "The food menu?"

"No," Robert laughed. "What's on the menu means what are we doing today. It's an American thing."

"Oh." Wanda swallowed the last of her pancake. "Well, what would you like to do?"

Robert shrugged. "It's your birthday. We could do lots of things." He counted on his fingers as he named different activities. "Skydiving, Bungee jumping, Kayaking, Horseback riding. I mean whatever you kids want to do, you can do it. It's your day today."

Pietro spoke up. "I always thought it would be fun to go to the zoo."

"You've never been to the zoo?" Robert looked shocked, but then he grinned. "I can fix that." Standing up, he put his plate in the sink. "Can you have everything ready by the time we get back, Franz?"

Franz nodded and Robert clapped him on the shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."

He glanced at Wanda and Pietro. "You kids be ready in half an hour alright?" He left to go get ready.

Wanda could barely contain her excitement. She was going to an actual zoo!

A while later, they were in the car on the way to the Philadelphia Zoo. Wanda could tell that Pietro was just as excited as her although he was trying not to show it.

They listened to music on the way down, but Wanda didn't recognize any of it. This fact had Robert explaining every song and who sang it. His monologue kept Wanda entertained for most of the ride, while Pietro just fell asleep.

Unfortunately they had had to leave Bandit at home, as they didn't want him to bark at the animals. Soon, they had arrived at the zoo, parked the car, and paid for a whole day at the zoo.

Wanda couldn't help but let out a tiny gasp when they went through the gate and she saw the lions. They passed lion, zebras, and eagles. Pietro was particularly fascinated with the snakes and they stayed there for quite a while.

Wanda loved the wolves the most. She sometimes felt a bit like a lone wolf herself. Because of this, she was reluctant to move on to the next attraction.

Wanda and Pietro were both shocked speechless by the huge elephants. Robert had to laugh at their gaping.

"Those are huge!" Wanda exclaimed.

"Of course they are, they're elephants." Robert explained, still chuckling.

They walked farther down the path and passed koalas, lemurs, and tigers.

"These monkeys do not smell very good." Wanda said, wrinkling her nose. They were in front of the Monkey Jungle and Wanda wasn't very fond of the monkeys.

"I would imagine that they do not have a chance to bathe much," Pietro teased her. Wanda scrunched her nose at him and stuck out her tongue.

"If you think this stinks, then you should see the hippos." Robert told them dryly.

About two hours later, the three weary adventurers stumbled out of the zoo and into the car. "Thank you so much for this, Robert." Wanda said gratefully. "You are so good to us."

"No problem, kid. You're easy to be good to. And wait until you see what's waiting for you at home."

As soon as they arrived home Wanda and Pietro raced to the kitchen. They burst into the room and immediately grinned. Streamers hung along the ceiling and walls, balloons floated around the room, and a huge cake sat in the middle of the table.

"The cake is marble." Franz told them, his eyes twinkling happily.

Thomas put a plastic birthday hat on Wanda and gave her a hug. "Happy birthday, kid." He then went on to ruffle Pietro's hair playfully.

"Let's dig in." Robert's voice boomed loudly over the chatter. "I'm sure these kids want to eat their birthday dinner." He motioned to the heaps of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and green beans.

Everyone laughed and talked long into the night, until Franz announced he was going to go to bed. Wanda decided that she would go to bed too, but Pietro said he was going to stay with the men and chat some more.

As she climbed the stairs to get to her room and settled under her covers, Wanda felt more content then she had in a long time. For once, she was actually happy.

Little did she know that that would soon change.

* * *

 _A.N- I love all the reviews, follows and favorites. Keep 'em coming, guys ;) But seriously, I really enjoy reading all your reviews and it definitely helps me update faster. Thanks for all you support and just so you know, things are about to get very interesting. In the next chapter(or the one after that) you might see someone that you recognize *wink wink*_ _Bye guys!_


	6. Parting Ways

Chapter Six: Parting Ways

Wanda and Pietro were downstairs playing poker with Robert, Thomas and Franz when it happened. They had eaten an early dinner and decided to play a game. After much debate, they all agreed on poker.

Although she had no idea what she was doing, Wanda was pretty sure she was winning. It wasn't because she was good; rather it was because everyone was letting her win. Which Wanda had no problem with.

Bandit was sleeping contentedly in Wanda's lap, so he startled everyone when he leaped up and started barking. Wanda dropped all the cards she was holding and Pietro almost slipped off of his chair. They quickly recovered to find that Robert and Thomas had leapt into action.

Robert stealthily crept up to the window and peered out. "It's the cops!" He whispered harshly, instantly crouching down. "They've got the place surrounded."

Normally, Wanda wouldn't be afraid of the police. But when you're running a pick pocketing empire, the police are something to be feared. She shushed Bandit, who was still barking wildly and went to stand next to Pietro. He grabbed her hand and squeezed, his attention still on the door.

"Okay, you all remember what to do right?" Robert glanced at all of them to confirm that they did. Wanda nodded along with the others. They had been over what to do several times if they were ever discovered. Everyone was to take a way out and meet again at a certain point in the woods.

Pietro touched her arm to get her attention. "We should take the tunnels."

Wanda knew he meant the tunnels in the basement.

"I'll get Bandit." Pietro added, going to grab the dog. He hoisted Bandit up on his shoulder and motioned for Wanda to go first down the stairs.

On a whim, Wanda whirled around and hugged Robert. He wrapped his arm around her and patted her back.

"Be safe." She whispered. Then she made her way down the stairs.

Pietro felt sad as he descended into the basement after Wanda. He knew that she was very attached to Peter; he was the closest thing to a father that Wanda had had for a long time. And come to think of it, Pietro was pretty attached to Robert too.

Once in the basement, Pietro handed Bandit to Wanda and opened the entrance to the tunnel. "Are you ready for this?" He asked, checking Wanda's face for signs of distress. She seemed fine, although a little worried.

"I think so." Wanda replied. "Let's go."

It didn't take them long to climb through the tunnel and get to the other side. They emerged from the tunnel into the black night. "Where is everyone?" Wanda whispered. "They should be here by now."

Pietro didn't answer. He heard something rustling in the bushes. He was about to call a warning to Wanda when a group of policeman stepped out from behind the trees.

Wanda let out a squeak and ran behind Pietro.

"It's okay." One of the policemen held out a calming hand. "We're not going to hurt you. Please come with us."

Wanda shared a look with Pietro. They didn't really have a choice. They were surrounded and they probably couldn't outrun all the policemen.

"Okay." Wanda said. "We'll come with you."

The policemen led them around to the front of the house and told them to get in the back of the police car. Wanda slid in, a little reluctantly and Pietro clambered in after her, holding Bandit.

Glancing out the window, Wanda saw Robert, Thomas, Franz and all the other guys getting put in various police vehicles. "What do we do now?" Wanda asked, so softly that Pietro almost didn't hear her.

"I don't know." Pietro hated how helpless he felt. He hated that his future wasn't in his own hands.

The car that held Robert pulled away and Wanda held back a sob. Pietro didn't say anything; he just held her hand.

"We didn't even get to say goodbye." Wanda was a little angry now.

"I know. It will be all right. We'll be just fine." Pietro said this to assure Wanda as much as himself.

Bandit licked Wanda's face and she gave a tiny smile. "I'm sure you're right, Pietro."

The front door opened and a police officer got in and buckled his seat belt. "Do you kids have any family?" He asked, turning to face them.

"No." Pietro answered for both of them.

The police officer nodded but didn't say anything else. He started the car and followed some of the other policemen's vehicles out of the gates and onto the road.

Wanda wanted to ask where he was taking them, but she was afraid of the answer. Soon, they had arrived at a huge mansion like place.

She couldn't read the sign near the entrance because it was raining heavily. The rain was gloomy and Wanda thought it was fairly fitting for this day.

Lightning suddenly flashed and Wanda glimpsed the sign. "Pennsylvania State Orphanage." She read aloud. Anxiety twisted in her gut. She didn't like the look of things.

The police officer, whose name Wanda saw from his name tag was Officer Bates, came around and opened the door for her.

She slowly climbed out with Pietro and Bandit not far behind her. Officer Bates led the way inside, and Wanda and Pietro ran after him so they wouldn't get soaked.

When they reached the doorway, the door swung open and they darted inside. A woman was standing in the lobby. She wore a plain black dress, and her hair was tied up in a tight bun, but she had kind eyes.

"Welcome to Pennsylvania Orphanage. We hope you will be happy here. I am Mrs. Sylvia Reynolds." She had a heavy British accent.

Officer Bates took care of a few more things and then just like that he was gone, and Wanda, Pietro and Bandit were left standing alone in the lobby with Mrs. Reynolds.

Everything had happened so fast that Wanda felt completely and utterly overwhelmed. All she wanted was somewhere to sleep.

"I'm sure you're very overwhelmed." Mrs. Reynolds said, patting stray gray hairs back into her bun and adjusting her glasses. "I'll show you two to your rooms."

She motioned for them to follow her and quietly led the way to their rooms. Wanda started to panic when she discovered that Pietro's room was on the other side of the orphanage.

"It will be all right." He told her, giving her a quick hug. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Wanda nodded bravely. "Good night, brother."

Bandit trotted along after Pietro, not a care in the world. Mrs. Reynolds didn't seem to mind that Bandit was there.

"Follow me, please." Mrs. Reynolds said. Wanda obediently followed her down the hall to a room with two bunk beds. "You have this room to yourself until the others arrive tomorrow."

Wanda didn't hear much else of what Mrs. Reynolds told her except for "there's an extra change of clothes in the closet," and "breakfast will be at eight."

When Mrs. Reynolds left, Wanda just collapsed on the bottom bunk of one of the beds in a heap. She laid down and pulled the blanket over herself. Just before she fell asleep, she felt very grateful that at least she still had her brother. And her dog.

* * *

 _A.N- I know, I know, I feel so sorry for doing this to my babies :( Things will get better for them...eventually. Oh, and by the way, that person that I said you might recognize might not be here for another two or three chapters. I had to update again so soon because of all my beautiful reviews! 3 Seriously, you guys are the best, like I can't even describe how happy the reviews, follows and favorites make me. Please don't stop reviewing! I love hearing feedback. I really do read all of my reviews like four times each XD Goodbye, my lovelies!_


	7. The Man With The Metal Arm

Chapter Seven: The Man With The Metal Arm

Wanda was up and ready at six in the morning, even though she hadn't gone to bed until around one the night before. She sat on her rickety old bed staring out the dirty window. Since she was on the third floor, she could look out and see all of the grounds.

It wasn't much to look at. The grass was overgrown and the bird fountain looked like it would fall apart any minute. Even the trees were drooping. At least they matched Wanda's mood. For loss of another way to put it, her heart hurt.

For once, she and Pietro had been happy. Really happy. They had lost that. Wanda wondered what had happened to Franz and Robert. Even though Wanda had only lived with them for about eight months, they felt like family.

Someone knocked on the door and startled Wanda out of her thoughts. Pietro opened the door and with Bandit following him; he came to sit beside her on the bed. They didn't speak for a long time.

Then Pietro turned to face her and cleared his throat. "Should we run away again?" He asked quietly.

Wanda shook her head. "No. There is no point. We have nowhere to go."

"We could live in the forest like we did before." Pietro suggested hopefully.

Wanda sighed and bandit came to rest his head on her knee. He whined at her as if sensing her sadness. She rubbed his head. "I can't live like that anymore." Wanda replied. "This place is better than nothing."

Pietro nodded and stood up. "We should go eat breakfast."

"Breakfast isn't until eight o' clock."

Pietro gave her a weird look. "Um, it _is_ eight o' clock."

"Oh." She said sheepishly. Wanda must have spent a lot of time lost in her thoughts. She stood and walked down the stairs with Pietro and Bandit. They entered the dining room and the headmistress, Mrs. Reynolds, nodded at her.

Wanda plopped not so gracefully down in a chair and Pietro sat next to her. Bandit went unnoticed under the table.

Pietro secretly fed Bandit bacon all throughout the meal. They had free time for an hour after breakfast so Wanda and Pietro retreated to her room. Wanda found a chess set in her closet, so they set the game up on a card table.

"It's not so bad here." Pietro commented, moving his bishop.

Wanda nodded reluctantly. "You're right. It's not."

They played chess for a very long time. So long, in fact, that Wanda never wanted to see another chess board again in her life. Pietro fell asleep during the twenty-fifth game. Wanda soon followed after him.

* * *

Wanda woke to the sound of the orphanage alarm blaring. Pietro leaped out of his chair. "What happened?" He looked half crazed with his hair going every which way and his eyes wide with surprise.

"I don't know." Wanda responded. "Let's go see."

Suddenly, the lights went out and lightning flashed. "I'm sure the lights went out because of the storm." Pietro said, but he didn't sound very sure.

Wanda and pietro stumbled down the stairs and found the place in an uproar. Kids were running everywhere and screaming, men were dashing to and fro, and Mrs. Reynolds was passed out on the floor.

A gunshot made everyone immediately calm down. "Line up against the wall." A man in a mask growled to all the children. The kids hurried to do what he had ordered. Wanda and Pietro stood in front of the wall closest to the stairs.

A man with a metal arm and long brown hair walked past each of the children choosing different ones and leaving others alone. His footsteps echoed throughout the now silent room as he examined each child. Wanda cringed as he came closer and closer to where she and Pietro were standing.

Finally, he came to a stop in front of them. Wanda held her breath as he reached toward her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Pietro was ready to jump the man but she shook her head. It wasn't worth it.

The man's touch was surprisingly gentle as he felt her arms, possibly to see how strong she was. He then opened her mouth and looked at her teeth. Wanda tried to look directly into his eyes, but he had a mask that covered his face, from his eyes down to his mouth.

Without thinking, she reached forward and took off his mask. All of the other kids looked on in shock. Wanda was rather shocked herself that she had done that. She glanced up at the man, expecting to see anger in his eyes, but instead all she saw was sadness.

He looked so broken, so defeated, that it broke her heart. "I'm sorry." She whispered, with no idea why she did.

His eyes seemed to tell her that he was sorry too. Another man came up beside him. "Are they suitable?"

The man with the metal arm nodded.

Wanda and Pietro were pulled out of the line and put with a group of other kids who looked as scared as Wanda felt. "What is going to happen to us?" Pietro asked quietly.

Wanda didn't answer. Her focus was fixed on the man with the metal arm. He didn't seem like he wanted to be here. He wasn't like the others. Her throat closed up with tears, and she realized that she was about to cry over a man that she didn't even know.

She quickly cleared her throat. "I don't know." She replied to Pietro's question hoarsely. They were herded out of the orphanage and into the pouring rain. They then boarded a van and were shut in the back. All the kids huddled together, scared out of their wits.

Soon the van stopped and the kids piled out. Several armed men guided them into a huge building and separated the sixteen kids into groups of two. Fortunately, Wanda was paired with Pietro. He smiled at her reassuringly.

They were escorted to two cells that were back to back. Wanda was thrown in one and Pietro in the other. Looking around at the dank and dark cell, Wanda couldn't help it. She began to sob.

Pietro heard Wanda sobbing in the other room and he desperately wished that he could comfort her. He was older than her and felt a lot of responsibility for her.

That's why he had been ready to tackle the man with the metal arm, but Wanda didn't want him to. And actually, the man hadn't hurt Wanda anyway. He sat on the bed pushed against the wall and leaned his head on the pillow. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

Meanwhile, Wanda had stopped crying and lay on her back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Someone walked past her cell and Wanda sat up to see the man with the metal arm stroll down the hallway.

"Wait." Wanda clambered out of her bed and ran to the front of her cell. "You never told me your name."

The man slowly turned to look at her. "I don't have one."

"Everybody has a name." Wanda said.

The man shrugged. "I am called the 'asset' or the Winter Soldier."

"Oh." Wanda didn't know what else to say. "Do you know what happened to my dog?" She asked randomly.

"Yes. I dropped him off at a little girl's house. He will be fine there." The Winter Soldier gave her one last look and continued on his way.

Wanda laid back down on her bed. She hoped Mrs. Reynolds would be all right. Although Wanda was sad that she wouldn't see Bandit anymore, she knew he would be just fine. He would be happy with the little girl.

She fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

 _A.N.- The experimentation with Hydra will begin soon. If you haven't figured it out yet, the organization that kidnapped them was Hydra. :) Oh and, this is different from their actual background story,(I just realized that cause I read the Wikipedia page on them XD) But anyway, please keep reviewing and sorry I took so long to update. Do you like how I brought the Winter Soldier into the story? Let me know :D By the way, I changed Wanda and Pietro's age to sixteen in the first chapter, so now since they had a birthday, they are seventeen. Bye, guys!_


	8. Experimentation

Chapter Eight: Experimentation

The experiments started very early in the morning. Wanda had no idea what time it was as she stumbled out of bed and down the hall to the 'lab.'

All of the other kids were lined up against the wall, facing a single chair in the middle of the room. Wanda joined them quietly, scanning the room for Pietro. She spotted him near the front of the line and sent him a little wave which he returned.

Everyone immediately straightened as a man walked in. He picked up some gloves and began to put them on. "My name is Baron von Strucker." He snapped his gloves and everyone jumped.

"You will listen to what I say and you will not try to run or you will be severely punished." Strucker continued. "Now, first in line, step up and sit in the chair."

The first in line, a trembling redheaded girl, slowly walked forward and sat in the chair. Strucker left the room for a moment and returned holding a long gold scepter that had a glowing blue ball on the end.

"The rest of you go wait outside." Strucker said and everyone left without hesitating.

When they were outside, Wanda thought she heard a scream, but it quickly stopped.

"Next!" Strucker called from inside the room. The kid who was next in line opened the door and two soldiers came out lugging a bag. Wanda gulped. It was a body bag.

She saw no sign of the redheaded girl. Wanda moved a little closer to where Pietro was. She was scared out of her mind.

Soon the line dwindled until there was just Pietro and Wanda left. Wanda took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

With an impatient hand, Strucker pushed her into the chair. He strapped her down. "Now hold still." He ordered when she squirmed a little. He grabbed the cube from the end of the staff and placed it into a contraption that fit the cube perfectly.

He powered it on and blue light shone on Wanda. After a few minutes, Wanda felt a little queasy. Then a little cold. When he finally turned it off, Wanda felt like she had been hit by a truck. Everything ached, she felt like she would throw up and her vision was going dark around the edges.

She opened the door and would have fainted if strong arms hadn't reached out to catch her. Looking up, Wanda expected to see Pietro, but instead she was surprised to see that the person holding her was the Winter Soldier.

Wanda blushed furiously and almost ran out of the circle of his arms. "Sorry." She said.

The Winter Soldier nodded and walked away.

Pietro embraced her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Wanda assured him. "I feel a little strange though."

"What did they do to you?"

Just then, Pietro was called to come in. "I guess I'll find out." He said, answering his own question.

He emerged unharmed a while later. "I know what you mean about feeling strange." He told her, rubbing his back. "I feel like a fifty year old man."

Wanda giggled. "Well, you don't look like one."

They were escorted back to their cells and they didn't see anyone, except for when someone came to give them meals. The same routine continued every day.

About a week later, after more and more kids had died, Wanda realized that she and Pietro were the only kids left.

One night, when Wanda was alone in her room after another round of being exposed to the light, she felt a huge burst of energy. The burst shocked her so much that she collapsed in the ground. Her head was pounding and she could hear Pietro.

He wasn't talking but she could hear him. Was she reading his thoughts? How was this possible? He was thinking of a way to escape. She could sense his hope, but also his trepidation.

Frightened, she backed up until she was pressed against the wall. Suddenly, she could hear all the guards' thoughts. She glanced in the mirror and saw her eyes glowing red. Wanda was sure her head was going to explode from all the information she was getting.

Wanda did the only thing she could think of. She screamed.

* * *

 _A.N- Thanks for the reviews, guys. Don't stop. I love them :D I'll just leave this semi cliffhanger here for you to see. ;) Bye, everyone. I'll try to update again soon._


	9. A Little Brainwashing Never Hurt Anyone

Chapter Nine: A Little Brainwashing Never Hurt Anyone

Several men came running to Wanda's cell at the sound of her scream. They found her huddling in the corner, her arms flailing wildly as if fighting an invisible assassin and her eyes glowing bright red.

The Winter Soldier pushed past the other men and gathered the still screaming Wanda in his arms.

"We have to get her to Strucker." One of the other men said. The Winter Soldier nodded in agreement, picked Wanda up and took her down the hall to Strucker's office.

Meanwhile, Pietro had been woken out of a deep sleep by the sound of Wanda's screaming. "Wanda?" He started to worry when she didn't answer. The screaming continued. He pounded on the wall harder. "Wanda?"

He heard her door burst open and footsteps entered then left. What in the world was going on? His fear was making him panic and he started to pace.

Then he started to jog. His jog soon turned into running. And before he knew it, he was running around his cell at an impossible speed. And he couldn't slow down. _This is not good_.

The Winter Soldier set Wanda down on Strucker's examination table. She had finally quit screaming but she was looking at them all frantically.

"What was she doing?" Strucker asked, putting on his gloves.

"Nothing." One of the men replied. "She was just sitting there and screaming her head off. Her eyes were glowing red. It was rather creepy."

Strucker nodded thoughtfully. "This is good news." He laughed at their skeptical looks. "Being exposed to the radiation of the Tesseract gave her powers." He straightened his lab coat. "On second thought her brother might also have powers too. Go check on him."

The men nodded and left to do his bidding. The Winter Soldier stayed behind. "Will she be all right?" He asked.

Strucker gave him a strange look. "Yes, I suppose. We wouldn't want to lose our new weapon."

Pietro was soon brought in and shoved onto the floor.

The men all looked like they had been beaten up.

"We had a little bit of a hard time stopping the kid." One of the men spoke up. "He was running around like a maniac. And not just regular running. I think he must have been going close to the speed of light. We almost died trying to slow him down."

"This is perfect." Strucker said happily. "They have powers. Now we have to teach them how to use the powers."

While Strucker was congratulating himself on his victory, Wanda was still lying on the examination table, staring at the white ceiling.

The Winter Soldier stood awkwardly off to the side, at a loss of what to do. Pietro was in a heap on the floor. He wasn't moving and his eyes were closed. The Winter Soldier noticed a big knot on Pietro's head. Obviously, to 'slow him down' they had had to knock him out.

The Winter Soldier sat next to Wanda on the table. She had passed out, probably from the strain of reading everyone's thoughts. He couldn't imagine how hard that was for her. But why did he care? He was supposed to be a merciless killing machine.

And that's all he was. So why did he care whether she was hurt or not? Abruptly, he stood. He had better things to do, he was sure. On the way out, he bumped into a Hydra officer, who told him it was time to be frozen again.

He sighed and went along with the man. It wasn't like he had a choice anyway.

Wanda woke up in a cold white room. "Where am I?" She looked around and saw Strucker sitting outside of the room, peering through the glass window at her and taking notes on his notepad.

Why was he watching her? It was a little unsettling. And where was Pietro?

As if reading her thoughts, Strucker spoke up into a mouthpiece so she could hear him. "Why don't you see if you can sense your brother with your powers?"

Wanda normally wouldn't have taken his suggestion, but she was curious as to where her brother was. She closed her eyes and concentrated with all her strength on Pietro. It didn't take long for her to hear his thoughts. He was wondering where she was.

She opened her eyes. "I could sense him." She told Strucker.

"Excellent." He replied, standing up and opening the door. "Come with me."

In the hallway, another man, who was tugging Pietro across the floor by his arm, walked up to where Wanda was. "Here he is, Dr. Zucker."

"Wanda!" Pietro exclaimed, quickly embracing her. She hugged him back. "Are you all right?" She asked.

He nodded. "I am fine."

They followed Strucker into a room with a big projector that was playing something. Strucker directed them to sit down and they did so. Wanda clutched Pietro's hand, almost to reassure herself that he was still there.

"You might have been wondering why you were captured and experimented on." Strucker began. "We needed teenagers with special powers, like you two, to defeat the most evil thing this world has ever seen."

He clicked a button on a remote and the clip on the projector started playing. "This is Iron Man, or Tony Stark." The projector showed a dark haired man, with a small beard, dressed in a suit and wearing sunglasses. "I am Iron Man." He told a crowd of people standing in front of him.

"This man invented weapons that have killed hundreds of people around the world." Some more clips flashed of bombs exploding, blowing men, women and children up. Wanda couldn't bear to look at the graphic images on the screen and turned her face into Pietro's shoulder.

When Wanda glanced up again, she saw corpses littering the ground and had to choke back a groan.

"This is what Tony Stark has done." Strucker told them. "He is part of this group called the Avengers and all they do is wreak havoc." He showed them several more clips where this group called the Avengers and this other group called SHIELD, injured or killed people.

Wanda was very upset. "And you want our help to stop these people?"

Strucker nodded. "As you can see, they are a menace to society."

Pietro looked at Wanda and she could see that he wanted to help stop these people. She gave him her silent agreement. "We will help you." Pietro said.

"We'll start your training in the morning." Strucker stood and turned off the projector. He handed Wanda and Pietro some tapes. "Play this on the TV's in your room and you can see what else they have done."

Back in her cell, Wanda played the tapes. She could only endure ten minutes of watching it. It was too horrible. All those children were dead. Wanda hadn't been sure if she should believe Strucker or not, but now she was fairly positive that he was correct. These Avengers were monsters.

And she would gladly help take them down.

* * *

 _A.N- This chapter didn't really turn out the way I wanted, but I don't know. Let me know what you guys think. Thank you for all my lovely reviews! They are so beautiful. And just a reminder that I changed their ages, so they are seventeen currently. And also, just FYI, the Winter Soldier stayed alive so long, because he was frozen in a chamber when he wasn't being used. That's all folks. Bye!_


	10. Reality Shifting Isn't The Best Power

Chapter Ten: Reality Shifting Isn't The Best Power

"Now we will begin training you how to use your powers." Strucker told Wanda and Pietro, who were gathered in the training room.

 _He probably doesn't know how to train us,_ Wanda thought. _This is the first time anyone has even gotten_ _powers from being exposed to the Tesseract's radiation._ _He is most likely as lost as we are; he just acts_ _like he knows what he is doing._

Pietro was having some of the same thoughts as his sister. _Like he would know how to train us. He is just a man in a lab coat._

"I will not be training you myself." Strucker continued.

 _Oh, of course not._ Pietro thought sarcastically.

"The Winter Soldier will be helping you with your new powers." Strucker motioned to his men and they opened the door to admit the Winter Soldier.

Wanda couldn't explain why, but she felt ten times safer as soon as he came in.

"But first we must give you a physical exam to make sure that there is nothing wrong with you." Strucker said. "Now come here, um…." He stared intently at Wanda. "What was your name again?"

"My name is Wanda." Wanda supplied.

"Yes, of course." He nodded. "Wanda, come here and stand on this scale." He checked her weight and wrote it down. Wanda didn't look at the scale, but she was fairly sure that she hardly weighed anything at all.

"Open your mouth." Strucker instructed, sticking a wooden stick in her mouth. "How old are you again?"

"Seventeen." Wanda replied, her voice cracking a little because she had had her mouth open.

After he checked her reflexes, Strucker had her go and he did the same procedure with Pietro. He gathered his things and stood to leave. "You may begin their training now." He addressed the Winter Soldier like he was talking to a dog, but the other man didn't flinch.

Wanda was unexpectedly upset. How dare he treat the Winter Soldier like that? He was a person too.

Strucker left and the Winter Soldier turned to face them. "We'll start with hand to hand combat." He motioned for Pietro to step onto the mat in the middle of the room. "Take your stance."

Pietro bent his knees and put up his fists. The Winter Soldier shook his head, walked over to Pietro and fixed his position.

Then without warning, the Winter Soldier threw and punch and, almost without thinking, Pietro ran out of the way. He left a skid mark on the floor when he came to a stop.

The Winter Soldier smirked. He ran at Pietro full speed like he was going to crash into him and then dropped into a crouch and tripped Pietro so that he fell onto his back. "Ohhh." He groaned. "That hurt."

Wanda held back a giggle. She knew her brother wasn't seriously hurt and it was rather funny to see him sprawled on the floor.

After a few more moves, all of which ended with Pietro on the ground, the Winter Soldier told to Wanda to stand on the mat.

Wanda slowly moved onto the mat and waited for him to instruct her. She took her stance at his direction and waited for him to throw a punch or try to trip her. To her surprise, he did neither.

"You may go first." He told her. Wanda gulped. She edged closer and punched him on the shoulder halfheartedly.

The Winter Soldier didn't even blink.

Wanda heard Pietro snickering behind her. She braced herself and punched the Winter Soldier harder in the bicep, a move which she immediately regretted. "Ouch!" She hollered, jumping back and rubbing her knuckles. His muscle felt like rock.

Pietro broke out into loud laughter.

Wanda sent him a glare. The Winter Soldier stepped forward and grabbed her hands. Wanda jumped at the contact. If the Winter Soldier noticed, he didn't say anything. "Like this." He said, positioning her hands the right way.

Being this close to him, Wanda noticed how young he looked. It was his eyes that made him look older.

"Try again." He pointed to her shoulder. "And use your body to help you."

Wanda nodded, took a deep breath, and punched him in the arm. She was proud of herself when he nodded, satisfied. They practiced a few more moves. "We are going to try something." The Winter Soldier broke the silence. "I want you and Pietro to work together to take me down." He said. 'But you cannot use your powers."

Pietro joined them on the mat and stepped closer to Wanda. They charged at the Winter Soldier, but he easily deflected both of their blows. "Use your opponents' strength against them." He directed. "Like this."

He led Wanda to the middle of the mat. "I will show you." He put Wanda's hands on his shoulders and he set his hands on her shoulders. Wanda blushed, desperately hoping that he wouldn't notice. If he did, once again he didn't say anything.

He turned around, stepping away from her, yet pulling her towards him. He placed his back on her hip and squatted closer to the ground. Pulling her over his shoulder, he somehow managed to set her gently on the ground.

The Winter Soldier helped Wanda up and straightened. "Now try it on me, but faster."

Wanda was a little unsure, but she gingerly put her hands on his shoulders and moved into him, effectively flipping him over her back and onto the ground none too gently.

He got up and brushed himself off. "You used your powers didn't you?" He didn't sound angry so Wanda admitted that she had used a little levitation. She wasn't quite sure how she had done it though. And she didn't think she could do it again.

Just then, Strucker walked in. "We will take a break." He commanded. "Go back to your cells."

Wanda and Pietro nodded and started back to their cells.

Pietro rubbed his back. "Ouch."

"You should be more careful next time," Wanda teased him.

"Just be glad he didn't throw you on the ground." Pietro retorted with a grin. "We should get some rest. They will most likely have us training again soon."

And they did. But this time, they were going to train with their powers. When Wanda and Pietro entered the training room, she saw Strucker and several other men in lab coats standing near the mat. "Where is the Winter Soldier?' Wanda asked.

"Not here." Strucker replied brusquely. "You," He waved at Pietro. "Go run in that room over there." He pointed to a large storage room. "See how fast you can go."

Pietro shrugged and followed his directions. That left Wanda alone in a room full of people.

"I want to see all that you can do." Strucker said. He directed some soldiers to the center of the room and they pulled out several machine guns.

Wanda's eyes grew wide. What were they doing?

"Fire." Strucker demanded.

Wanda screamed, throwing up her arms to defend herself. She waited for the bullets to pierce her, but they didn't. Glancing up, she saw a huge red shield around her. Apparently she had done that.

A loud thump made her look at the soldiers and she gasped when she saw a man on the ground in a pool of blood. She dropped her energy shield and ran over to the man. After checking for a pulse and finding none, she crawled away as fast as she could. "He's dead." She choked out.

A bullet had ricocheted off of her shield and hit the man square in the chest. Wanda had to turn her head away from all the blood. Looking down at her hands, she realized that they had blood on them too from when she had touched his neck while searching for a pulse.

Wanda began trembling violently. She had just killed someone. She was a murderer. Waves of red energy began rolling off of her.

"What is going on?" One of Strucker's men shouted.

"Something wonderful!" Strucker yelled, his eyes wide with either fear or delight.

Wanda got to her feet and the whole room exploded. She was thrown against the wall. The wall knocked the breath out of her and she sank to the floor, struggling for a breath of fresh air. Pietro ran out of the room he had been practicing in.

He was running toward Wanda, when suddenly a huge portion of the ceiling broke loose and fell right on top of him.

"Pietro!" Wanda screamed. "No!" She stumbled to the rock and lifted it up with her levitation. Pietro lay still, his body broken and bleeding.

Wanda backed into the corner. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her brother was gone.

"No." She whispered. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "No." She said again, louder. "No! No!" She screamed and floated upwards into the middle of the room. "No!"

She screamed as loud as she could and red energy exploded everywhere. Then, Wanda fell onto the ground and her world went dark.

* * *

Wanda woke up shrieking loudly and sobbing. "Pietro!" She screamed over and over. "Pietro!"

"Bring the boy in here now!" Strucker bellowed.

Pietro ran out of the room and straight to Wanda, who was still wailing. "Wanda, it's okay, I'm here." He cradled her in his arms and sang softly to her in Russian. "Мерцай, звездочка, мерцай. Как хочу я знать тебя…."

She eventually ceased sobbing and listened to the sound of Pietro's voice. "Так над миром высоко. Бриллиантом в небесах. Мерцай, звездочка, мерцай. Как хочу я знать тебя."

Wanda opened her eyes and looked at Pietro. Her eyes were red from crying and her face was streaked with tears. "You're alive," She breathed, touching Pietro's face softly.

"What happened?" She asked. "How are you alive?"

Pietro looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Before she could answer, Strucker cut in. "We have figured it out!" He exclaimed. "You can shift reality. You only thought your brother had died, but that was in a different reality that doesn't exist. Maybe one day you will be able to shift reality without sleeping."

"I was sleeping?" Now Wanda was the one who was confused. "When was I sleeping?"

"You passed out after you found out that you had killed that man." Strucker explained.

Wanda froze. So that part hadn't been a dream. She had really killed someone.

"I think that's enough for today." Pietro said. His tone dared someone to argue with him, just so he could punch them in the face. But no one argued. "And Wanda is sleeping in my cell tonight." He added. Again, no one argued with him.

He picked Wanda up in his arms, glared at Strucker and exited the room. He carried Wanda to his cell, where two soldiers opened the door for him. They probably didn't do it to be nice; they did it to make sure he got in the cell and stayed there.

Laying Wanda gently on the bed, he smoothed her hair out of her face and gave her a smile. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"No." Wanda whispered brokenly. She sat up frantically. "Promise me you will never leave me alone." She grasped Pietro's hand. "Please." A tear fell onto her cheek.

"I will never leave you." Pietro assured her. She didn't look convinced, but she laid back down anyway.

Pietro didn't try to comfort her with empty words. Instead, he kissed her forehead and climbed into the bed next to her. Wanda scooted closer so she was against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. They fell asleep like that, nestled in each other's arms.

* * *

 _A,N- I tried to make this one longer, and according to Word document, it was. I will try to make the next one even longer. I must take a moment to say how much I appreciate all of your reviews! You have no idea how encouraging they are to me. Thank you everyone for your kind words. And thanks to everyone who followed and favorited this story too. I love to hear what you guys think about the chapter, so please keep reviewing :D_

 _Bye, my lovelies! Have a wonderful Saturday!_

 _Oh yes, I almost forgot the translation of the song._

 _The first part: Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are_ _._

 _The second part: Up above the world so high,_  
 _Like a diamond in the sky._  
 _Twinkle, twinkle, little star,_  
 _How I wonder what you are._


	11. Telekinesis and Gunshot Wounds

Chapter Eleven: Telekinesis and Gunshot Wounds

Wanda woke up out of a deep sleep. She listened for a second, but everything was quiet. It must be fairly early in the morning since everyone usually got up around five.

She had no idea why she was waking up so early, but she decided to enjoy the stillness before their training started.

With a start, Wanda realized that today was her birthday. Well, it was Pietro's birthday too, of course. It was hard to judge time in here, but she had seen the date on a calendar in the cafeteria yesterday. She and Pietro would be turning eighteen today.

The sound of a door slamming made Wanda jump straight up and run to look out the tiny window on her door. She saw the Winter Soldier limping past her door, blood streaming from his arm. Her eyes widened. That was a lot of blood.

Wanda waited to hear somebody ask him if he was all right or for someone to stop the bleeding. But she heard nothing. Only silence greeted her. She stood motionless by the door, hoping to hear something, anything.

Suddenly she heard a cry of pain. She started to panic and pounded on the door. "Hello?" She called. "Is anyone out there?" _What if the Winter Soldier is dying out there?_

Wanda knew what she had to do. She shut her eyes and focused on the door. With a flash of movement, she moved her hands and ripped the door in half. _Oh cool. Mind powers._

She climbed through the doorway and ran down the hall to where she had seen the Winter Soldier go. Wanda saw him lying on the ground near the training room. She gasped and hurried to his side.

His face was pale and sweaty and the front of his suit was covered in blood. Wanda pushed away her squeamishness and opened the front of his suit.

Now even more blood was pouring out. The hole in his chest looked like a gunshot wound _. I thought his suit was bulletproof. How did the bullet get through the front of it?_

Well, she didn't have time to think about it now. She had to stop the bleeding. She took off her jacket and pressed it onto the wound, holding it firmly in place with both of her hands.

"Hey," She shook him gently. "Wake up." Wanda was going to say his name, but then she realized that she didn't even know his name. He began twitching violently. His forehead felt warm to the touch.

She heard footsteps behind her and whirled around. A guard stood there, mouth open and frozen in shock. "Where is Dr. Strucker?" Wanda asked urgently.

" I think he left this morning and he's not coming back until tomorrow." The guard answered, still staring at the Winter Soldier in shock.

"Well, is there another doctor here?"

The guard shook his head. "Dr. Strucker was the only doctor here."

Wanda sighed. "Go get me one of his books on gunshot wounds." She directed. The guard didn't move. "Now would be nice before he bleeds out here on the floor." Wanda said, her tone sharper than before.

The guard scurried off and Wanda turned back to the Winter Soldier. He was mumbling under his breath. Wanda leaned closer so she could hear. He was saying something about a shield, and a bucky.

 _How strange. Maybe his name is Bucky and his last name is Shield._ She decided to try it out. Leaning over him, she shook him gently. "Bucky? Please wake up."

He immediately stilled as soon as she said his name. The guard came hurrying down the hall, a huge book in his hand. "Here," He said breathlessly. "This one says gunshot wounds on the cover."

Wanda took it and went to the table of contents. She looked down the list until she found a section on gunshot aftercare. "Find and remove bullet." She read aloud. "Oh, yes." She looked down at her makeshift bandage. "I forgot to do that."

"I'll get some tweezers," The guard told her eagerly, jumping to his feet.

"It says here that it is supposed to be sterilized," Wanda told him. "So, maybe wash it in warm water?"

"Okay." The guard agreed.

"Wait," Wanda stopped him. "What is your name?"

"Thomas."

"Thomas." She echoed. "Okay, go get some tweezers and some cloth bandages. And maybe get a bottle of iodine too since it says in the book that iodine helps to clean the wound."

Thomas nodded and ran off to do what she had directed. By now, a small crowd had gathered. They just stood rooted to the spot, gawking at her.

"Can you help me carry him somewhere?" Wanda asked. Several men stepped forward. "We can take him to his room."

Okay, let's go." She told them, fervently wishing that Pietro were here.

She took one of Bucky's arms and the men supported his other arm and his legs. Suddenly there was a loud crash and Pietro came sprinting around the corner.

"How did you get out?" Wanda asked, completely shocked.

Pietro shrugged. "I ran as hard as I could at the door." He gestured to Bucky. "What happened to him?"

"He was shot." Wanda replied. "And I found out that his name is Bucky." She stumbled a little under Bucky's weight.

Pietro moved to help her. "I've got him." He assured her.

Wanda gratefully let Pietro take her place holding Bucky's arm. She reached out and squeezed Bucky's hand. "It will be all right." She whispered.

They laid Bucky on his bed. Wanda dragged a chair over from the corner and sat next to Bucky. "I have to remove the bullet." She told Pietro, grabbing the tweezers. Pietro put a lamp on the desk next to her so she could see better.

Wanda took a deep breath and leaned over Bucky, tweezers in hand. She shakily reached forward and inserted the tweezers into the wound. It started bleeding again. _Great. Now what?_

She pressed a clean bandage onto his chest. Quickly lifting the bandage up again, she put the tweezers in the wound and probed around. Bucky arched his back and groaned. Wanda winced as if she was the once getting hurt.

Her tweezers struck something metal. She dug a little deeper so she could get a better grip on the bullet. _Okay. One, two three-_

Wanda yanked the bullet out and poured iodine on his wound. Bucky cried out in pain.

"Sorry," Wanda whispered, tying a clean bandage around his chest. "You can't really be gentle when you are taking a bullet out."

Soon, the excitement died down and the guards all left, apparently deciding that since Wanda and Pietro could get out of their cells anyway, there was no use putting them back in their cells.

Pietro had fallen asleep against the wall. Wanda smiled at him. She adjusted his position so that he was lying on the ground and put a pillow under him.

Wanda sat in the chair next to Bucky's bed. "I'll just stay here." She said aloud. "Taking a bullet out isn't easy work." She laid down, with her head on the bed and her hand clutching Bucky's, and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

 _A.N: As always, thank you for my reviews :D Please don't stop. Sorry this chapter wasn't as long, but I had a little bit of writer's block. Bye, everyone!_


	12. Recovery

Chapter Twelve: Recovery

Bucky woke up and immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest. He winced and sucked in his breath. As he shifted to get to a more comfortable position, he felt pressure on the bed right next to his leg.

He lifted his head off of his pillow, grimacing as he did, and noticed Wanda Maximoff sitting in a chair next to his bed, her head lying next to his leg and her hand entangled with his.

For several moments, he froze in his position, staring at the sleeping girl next him. He glanced at his chest and saw that it was bandaged. He vaguely recalled trying to assassinate someone, but he hadn't counted on them having a gun.

He had gotten the job done, but not before the person had fired a bullet directly into his chest. He had barely had enough strength to come back to the base. The last thing he remembered was passing out on the base floor.

The rest was all a blur. A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye brought his attention to a chair in the corner were Pietro Maximoff was sleeping.

Wanda stirred next to his leg and lifted her head, blinking her brown eyes sleepily. She jumped about a foot in the air when she saw that their hands were entwined.

"I forgot that I did that." She muttered to herself under her breath.

She backed up and straightened her hair and outfit. "I-I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I didn't mean to, well, um…." She looked towards the door as if wanting to escape.

Bucky thought she was rather cute with her hair all tousled and looking all out of sorts. With a start, Bucky realized that he didn't remember when the last time was that he thought a girl was pretty.

"It's all right." He said hoarsely. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Did you bandage me up?"

Wanda nodded. "Yes. I took the bullet out. I should change the dressing." She grabbed a clean bandage and was about to take off his old bandage when she stopped.

She must have just realized that he wasn't exactly wearing a shirt, Bucky decided as her face went so red he thought she was going to faint.

"It's all right." Bucky told her again, trying to reassure her.

Wanda gulped, stepped forward and changed his bandage as fast as humanly possible. She threw the old one in the trash and disappeared into the bathroom, probably to wash her hands. She emerged a minute later with a glass of water.

"I thought you might be thirsty." She told him, alighting next to him on the bed. She hesitated just a moment before lifting his head and helping him drink.

Bucky had no idea why she was doing this for him. In his experience, people only helped him when they wanted something from him. And certainly, no one had ever cared to tend to his wounds or to help him drink a cup of water.

He had never felt so cared for in his life. Or at least that he could remember. Maybe his mother had taken care of him before, but of course he couldn't remember because of all the times Hydra had wiped his mind.

He liked this feeling of having someone actually care about his well being. But he couldn't bring himself to thank her.

Pietro jumped out of his chair. He looked around frantically, but when he saw Wanda he immediately calmed down.

"Does he always wake up like that?" Bucky asked, without thinking.

"Yes." Wanda chuckled. "He jumps up like he has just been stung by a bee."

Pietro tried to glare at her, but failed. "Sorry, I don't wake up as gracefully as you, Wanda. But I seem to recall that in your sleep, sometimes you droo-."

"I will go find some breakfast." Wanda interrupted smoothly, frowning at the now grinning Pietro. "You can come with me, Pietro." She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room.

Bucky stopped mid chuckle. When was the last time that he had laughed? He couldn't remember. All he knew was that he really liked laughing.

After a few minutes of struggling, he was able to get out of bed and sit at the table in his room. Wanda and Pietro came back with three plates of eggs and bacon.

"I had to cook these." Wanda explained. "That was why we took so long." She set plates in front of Pietro and Bucky then sat down to eat her own food.

The conversation was fairly light and cheery for being in a Hydra compound. Bucky enjoyed himself more than he had in a long time. He barely noticed the pain in his chest.

"So," Wanda turned to dace him. "Isn't your suit bulletproof? How did the bullet get through it?"

"I actually didn't wear the bulletproof suit this time." Bucky admitted.

Wanda wondered if now was a good time to bring up that she knew his name, but she had a feeling that she shouldn't, so she kept quiet.

"We should get you moving around." Wanda told Bucky when everyone was finished with their meals. "Sort of like….what is the word?"

"Physical therapy." Bucky supplied.

Wanda nodded. "I read in Strucker's book that in the recovery after being shot, it is very important to get plenty of exercise."

Pietro stood and stretched. "I'm going to go take a nap."

"You just got up," Wanda gave him a weird look that only siblings could understand.

"I know." Pietro shrugged. "I'm tired again."

Wanda waved her hand. "Okay. Go ahead."

Soon, it was just Bucky and Wanda alone in the room. "I was thinking we could go for a walk." It almost sounded like she was whispering, she was so quiet.

Bucky nodded and took in a deep breath. He pushed himself up out of his chair using the armrests and stood on shaky legs.

Wanda moved to help him. Bucky didn't like to depend on other people for help, but everything hurt so much, he wasn't going to protest. He draped his arm across her tiny shoulders, secretly wondering how she was going to support him.

To his surprise, she held him up fairly easily. Of course, he was helping her, but still, he was impressed by her strength.

Slowly but surely they made their way out of the room and down the hall. "Is there a library?" Wanda questioned, panting a little.

"I don't know." Bucky replied. In truth, he had never thought about looking for a library. Monsters didn't have time for reading.

"You are not a monster." Wanda said heatedly. "Don't ever call yourself that."

He stared at her in shock and she looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"You read my mind?" Bucky wasn't sure how he felt about this.

Wanda nodded, her gaze still on the floor. "I discovered this power yesterday."

She stopped in front of a room filled with books. "We found it." She sounded relieved.

Bucky wondered if she was relieved that they were here so she didn't have to be embarrassed anymore. Personally, he thought it was cute when she was all flustered.

Wanda whirled around to stare at him. Her cheeks were bright red. She cleared her throat. "I am going to look at the books." She helped him onto a couch and dashed away as fast as she could.

Amused, Bucky stared after her. She must have heard his thoughts, and now she knew that he thought she was cute when she was flustered.

Wanda came back with a huge book. "I thought I could read a book to you." She seemed to have recovered from her earlier embarrassment. He scooted over to make room for her on the couch.

She sat next to him and opened the book. "Romeo and Juliet." She began reading, haltingly at first, but getting better as she went along.

Bucky had never heard of this book before, but he was enjoying it. He liked the sound of Wanda reading to him. He leaned back into the cushion and relaxed.

Wanda was also enjoying herself, probably a little too much.

 **Quite a few hours later:**

"For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo." Wanda read the last part and shut the book. She stretched and yawned. "That was very tragic, don't you think?"

Bucky nodded. "In the end, they both died."

"Can you read a book to me?" Wanda asked shyly.

Bucky blinked several times before replying. "What do you want me to read?"

"Just a minute." Wanda went in the direction of the bookcase and returned with a book. "How about this one?"

Bucky examined the leather bound book. On the front, it said Pride and Prejudice.

Just then, Pietro sauntered in. "Hello," He greeted.

"What were you doing all day?" Wanda asked.

"Exploring." Pietro responded with a big grin. "But I came to see how you were doing." He plopped onto the sofa, on the other side of Wanda.

"I was reading a book." Wanda told him. She gestured to Bucky. "He was just about to read us a book."

Pietro put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs on the table. "Well, let's hear it."

Wanda put her head on Pietro's shoulder and they both waited for Bucky to begin.

Bucky thought how crazy it was that he was a killing machine reading a book out loud in a library. _Oh well._ Bucky opened the book and began reading.

* * *

 _A.N- Yes, I know that this chapter is pure fluff, but I wanted to give you all a happy chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have been a little busy. This story sadly only has a few chapters left (sniff sniff), but don't worry, I have plans for a sequel. Again, thank you all so much for the reviews! Bye, everyone :D_

 _Oh yes, I almost forgot. I made a soundtrack for this story. Just type in your search engine: Us Against the World Maximoff twins playlist, and you should see it. It's not the youtube one(that's a video), it's the 8tracks one._

 _Hope you guys like it!_


	13. Losing Your Memory

Chapter Thirteen: Losing Your Memory

Wanda ate her bite of eggs and immediately spit it back out. _Who made these? They taste spoiled._ She wiped her tongue with a napkin and gulped down her glass of milk.

Glancing around, she tried to see if she could find Pietro, but after checking the room, she decided he must be still sleeping. She leaned back in her chair and looked around the room full of Hydra's men.

They talked and laughed as they ate and Wanda sat for a moment enjoying the sounds of mirth. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of her chair. Yesterday had been wonderful. It was the most fun she had had in a long time.

She loved when Bucky read them the story. He hadn't finished it because he had had to leave in the middle of a night for some mission he had to do.

Wanda had hated when she read his mind and saw that he thought he was a monster. He was many things- compassionate, intelligent- but not a monster.

Wanda wondered what his story was. He didn't seem to remember himself. A thought struck her. She could read people's minds and see their old memories. Maybe she could help him piece his life back together.

She opened her eyes and got to her feet, eager to get started. She made her way out of the crowded room and down the hall. Pietro stumbled past her, looking like he had just rolled out of bed. He waved half heartedly at her and continued to the cafeteria.

Wanda chuckled and resumed her hunt for Bucky. She picked up her pace to a jog. She almost ran past Bucky who was walking a lot more slowly than she was.

"Hello!" She greeted him brightly. He whipped his head around and stared at her. He looked confused as to why she was talking to him.

He gave her one last glance and resumed his steady pace. Wanda tilted her head in confusion. Why was he acting this way? Was he mad at her?

She touched him lightly on the shoulder and he jerked away, giving her a strange look.

Wanda was a little hurt. "I- I had an idea I wanted to discuss with you."

Bucky kept staring at her. Finally, he spoke. "Do I know you?"

Wanda gasped and stepped back. "What are you talking about? Of course you do. It's me, Wanda."

His blue eyes didn't flicker with recognition at her name.

"Well," Wanda continued, growing a little worried. "I was thinking that since I can read minds, I could read your mind and maybe help you sort out some memories."

Bucky looked at her blankly.

Wanda took that as an okay so she closed her eyes and concentrated. She went into his mind and searched for memories. She didn't find any memories. _That is strange._

She concentrated harder and searched more intensely. She released his mind and came out, gasping. His memories. They were gone. All of them.

"What happened to you?" Wanda whispered, tears welling in her eyes. It must have been Strucker, she fumed. "I'll be back." She told Bucky, whirling around and marching the way he had come.

She burst into the laboratory. "Where is Strucker?" She yelled. The guards rushed over to her and were about to usher her out, but they seemed to think better of that as her eyes were dangerously glowing red.

"Where is he?" She asked again. Her voice was quiet this time, but so cold it could freeze lava.

One of the guards vaguely gestured over to a room in a different part of the laboratory. "He's in there."

Strucker saw her coming, red magic flowing from her hands and her eyes blazing red, and took an involuntary step back.

"Is there something I can help you with?" His voice shook a little, which gave Wanda some measure of satisfaction.

She didn't bother asking. She used her powers to probe into his mind, searching through different memories. He stood still in shock and a little pain, as it did hurt a little to have someone forcibly go through your memories.

Wanda found the memory from last night and examined it, before covering her mouth in horror. "No.." She mouthed silently.

The scene before her was terrible. Bucky was sitting in a cold metal chair, staring blankly at the wall as if recalling a distant memory. He suddenly lashed out and knocked a man across the room. Wanda could tell that he hadn't meant to.

"We have to get Pierce," One of the men mumbled to one of the other guards who nodded and went off to fetch him.

A blonde man, Pierce, Wanda assumed, walked into the room and stood before Bucky. "Mission report," He demanded.

"Mission report, now." Pierce said, louder. When Bucky didn't answer, Pierce backhanded him across the face.

That seemed to snap Bucky out of whatever trance he was in. "The man on the bridge. Who was he?" His voice was hoarse and he examined Pierce's face, desperate for answers.

 _What man on the bridge?_

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment." Pierce responded calmly.

"I knew him." Bucky stated. He was sure of that, Wanda could tell.

Pierce pulled up a chair and sat down. "You work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and we are going to give it a push.

"But I can't do my part unless you do yours. And Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves.

"But I knew him." Bucky said. His voice sounded so broken, yet Wanda could hear some hope.

Pierce considered him for a moment and stood. He looked at one of the doctors. The doctor shrugged. "He's been out of cryo freeze for too long."

Pierce nodded. "Then wipe him and start over." He didn't even blink as he sentenced Bucky's mind to be wiped. Wanda wondered how many times this had happened. She didn't want to watch anymore but at the same time she couldn't look away.

She saw varying emotions flash through Bucky's eyes- defiance, anger, sadness, acceptance, and finally defeat.

 _No, you can't give up. You have to fight._ Even as she was thinking this, Wanda knew it was impossible. He didn't have a choice.

Two men pushed Bucky back into the chair. He opened his mouth and they put a piece of metal in there.

Wanda felt a growing sense of dread. She knew what was going to happen, but she still couldn't turn away.

One of the men pushed a button and a two metal prongs sparking with electricity were attached to both sides of Bucky's head.

Bucky's breathing quickened and Wanda felt like she was going to throw up. She didn't bother to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face.

Bucky let out a scream of agony. Like a wave, Wanda felt all his pain washing over her. It was almost unbearable. She started sobbing. _No ,no, no…._

Bucky's screams continued and every one tore right through Wanda's heart. She was sobbing so hard that she couldn't even hear his screams. But she knew they were there.

Through her tears, Wanda saw Pierce exit the room calmly as if he hadn't just ruined someone's life. Wanda closed the memory and dropped to the ground, weeping.

Strucker was staring at her. He knew exactly what she had seen.

Suddenly, in a burst of air, Pietro ran into the room and right to Wanda. "Wanda?" He called frantically. "Wanda?"

She didn't respond. She was curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, muttering the word 'No' over and over again.

"What's wrong?" Pietro questioned. Wanda didn't stop crying so he simply held her, letting her cry all her tears.

Wanda finished her tears quite a while later. She didn't speak, but instead pressed her forehead to Pietro's and showed him the memory.

Pietro was horrified. "I don't believe it." He whispered. He had been fond of Bucky. The whole time, he knew that underneath the Winter Soldier's cold exterior was once a kind man.

"Wait, so he doesn't remember us?" Pietro asked.

Wanda lifted her head, her eyes swollen from crying. "No." She turned to glare at Strucker. "You're a monster."

Strucker gulped. "It wasn't me who authorized it. It was Pierce who-."

"Don't pretend that you had nothing to do with it." Pietro snapped, anger making his blue eyes stand out.

Wanda stood from her position, her hands clenched at her sides. She walked closer to Strucker. She felt completely devoid of mercy. If Pietro hadn't been there she knew she would have killed Strucker.

As it was, she had trouble controlling herself. She lifted him up with her telekinesis and tied him onto one of the support beams. "Have fun getting down." The venom in her voice surprised her.

Pietro took her hand. "Let's go."

"So do you think we should go find Bucky?" Pietro dodged a group of guards walking down the hallway.

"No." Wanda sighed. "He is gone on another mission. I don't think he will be back for a while."

Pietro cast a glance at his sister. She didn't look so good. She was pale and shaky and sweat was beading on her forehead. She caught his glance. "Watching a memory for so long takes a lot out of me." She explained.

"I want to sleep." Her voice cracked with the strain of keeping her emotions in check.

Pietro nodded and took her back to their room. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Pietro stayed up almost the whole night, keeping watch. For what, he didn't know, but he had a feeling something was coming soon.

* * *

 _A.N- So only one chapter left(and an epilogue) I didn't originally plan on tying this story into Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but I did so yeah. XD Thank you for the reviews! They are beauteous. Let me know what you think about this chapter. Sorry for any errors; I didn't check it over as thoroughly as I usually do. I am now releasing the title for the sequel. Are you ready? Drum roll, please. *dramatic buildup* And the title is..._

 _Did You See The Flares?_

 _Bye guys!_


	14. Making Decisions

Chapter Fourteen: Making Decisions

The next morning, Wanda and Pietro rose early and quickly ate breakfast. Wanda barely tasted the bland oatmeal. She saw the glances Pietro was giving her. He was obviously worried about her.

Pietro sent a glance to Wanda, knowing that she could see him looking at her. She looked terrible. She was pale and shaky and her eyes were bloodshot.

He wanted to take away her pain, but he didn't know how. Wanda had always been the strong one. It's not that he hadn't been strong, but she had always been very independent. Now, she needed him very much. He could only hope that someday he could make her happy again.

"Are you ready?" He asked gently, tapping Wanda on the arm. She was staring absently into the distance. She had been doing that a lot lately. Pietro knew it wasn't just Bucky; it had something to do with her powers. She had a lot of power to control.

Wanda finally heard his question after it was repeated several times. "I suppose."

On the way to Strucker's laboratory, Pietro tried to cheer Wanda up. "Do you remember when we were little and our friend Tommy lived right next door to us?"

Wanda nodded.

"You had a crush on him, I recall." Pietro continued. "You told me about it and I told him. You were so mad."

Wanda cracked a smile. "Yes, I was. And you deserved it."

They arrived at the door and Wanda barged in without knocking. Pietro shrugged and trailed after her. "Strucker, we want to speak with you." Wanda's chin was lifted in open defiance, but Pietro could see how broken she was.

Strucker nodded and motioned for them to it on several crates that were scattered around. Wanda collapsed on top of one of them and Pietro sat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"We know the awful things that you have done," Wanda began, glaring at him. "And, normally we would leave. But we will stay."

"You will?" Strucker was obviously surprised.

"Yes." Wanda responded. "But only until we can take down those Avengers. Then we will leave and never look back."

Strucker sighed in relief. "That is agreeable."

"I'm glad it is." Wanda stood.

"And we would like a better room than the one we have now." Pietro added.

"What's wrong with the room you are in now?" Strucker asked.

Wanda gave him a pointed look. "It's a cell."

"Oh. Well, I will get you a better room." Strucker told them. "But for now, if you could please report to the training area. You training is not quite complete."

"Fine." Wanda replied. "We will be there."

Pietro took her hand and led her from the room. She still looked pale and shaky. "Are you sick?" He questioned.

Wanda shook her head. "I'm all right."

Pietro halted in the middle of the corridor, bumping into several guards. "No you're not. What is going on?"

Wanda sighed. "I need to sit down."

Pietro guided Wanda to the cafeteria and sat with her on a bench. "Tell me what's happening."

Wanda took a deep breath. "I can see things," She began haltingly. "I can see this world, but I can also see a different world that is similar to this one, but still different. Do you remember how Strucker was talking about alternate realities?"

At Pietro's nod, she continued. "I can see those alternate realities. And if we made different decisions in this world then this world would be like the other one."

Pietro was having a hard time understanding what she was trying to say. "Do you mean like you can see what could have happened here in this world, and that thing that could have happened here, happened in a different world? Like a parallel world?"

"Yes." Wanda nodded. "That is what I see all the time. This world and other parallel worlds. And it's hard." She clutched her head. "There is so much power to control."

Pietro put his hand on hers. "But you're not alone."

Wanda smiled slightly and held his hand. "Thank you, brother."

"We need to make another decision." Pietro said.

"What's that?" Wanda was confused.

"Are we going to go find Bucky?"

Wanda thought for a moment. "No. He's gone."

Pietro fell silent and Wanda smiled at him. "It's all right. We might see him again someday."

Pietro was grateful that Wanda was trying to cheer him up, but he could tell that she was very sad. "Did you love him?" He blurted out, immediately clapping his hand over his mouth as soon as he said it.

Wanda stared at him blankly for so long that Pietro was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Yes." She got up and walked away.

Pietro watched her go. He had known that she was attached to Bucky. But love? He was surprised. But as he looked back, he recalled many times when he had noticed that maybe there was something between Bucky and Wanda.

A glance here, a shared smile there. He should have realized sooner. Well, he could only hope, for his sister's sake, and Bucky's, that He and Wanda would see Bucky again.

* * *

 _A.N- Sorry this chapter was so short. The epilogue should be up tomorrow or the next day. OMW Look at all my reviews! I'm so happy I could cry! But I don't think I will...Not really the crying type. XD Bye everyone :D_


	15. Epilogue

Epilogue

One Year Later

Wanda was sleeping soundly when a loud boom made her fall out of the bed. Pietro sat up, blinking sleepy eyes. "What is going on?"

Wanda shook her head. "I don't know. Let's get dressed and go see."

They dressed quickly, Wanda in her red dress and black jacket, and Pietro in his blue track shirt and sweatpants. Rushing outside, they found the compound in an uproar.

Wanda sent Pietro a glance and saw that they both had the same idea. He picked her up in his arms, which was a regular occurrence, and rushed to Strucker's laboratory.

Pietro stopped just short of a piece of falling ceiling. "This is not a drill," Came over the loudspeakers. "This is not a drill. We are under attack."

Pietro set Wanda down and she took his hand. They glanced over at Strucker who was discussing something. Wanda heard the word 'Avengers.'

She gasped. "I think the Avengers are attacking us."

"Send in the twins." Strucker said.

The other man shook his head and moved closer, lowering his voice so Wanda couldn't hear what he was saying.

"Let's go." Pietro motioned with his head towards the door. Wanda reluctantly agreed and they ran out into the fray. Pietro ran off and Wanda retreated back inside. She would guard the scepter.

Pietro ran around looking for the Avengers. He saw a man with a bow and arrow, and dashed toward him. The man was fast, drawing his bow and letting his arrow fly, narrowly missing Pietro.

Pietro ran right into the man and knocked him over. "You didn't see that coming?"

Next, he ran at the man with the shield and made him do a flip. _This is fun._

Meanwhile, Wanda was in the room with the scepter, anxiously waiting for anyone to appear.

She heard a man just outside the secret room. "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door….Yay!"

 _What kind of person is this?_ She sucked in a breath when she saw a man, most likely Iron Man judging by his suit, enter the room.

Suddenly, Wanda's watch beeped, the signal from Strucker that he was in trouble. She hurried as fast as she could to his location and found Captain America there. She blasted him with energy and ran into another room, quickly shutting the door.

Back in the room, with Iron Man, she debated what to do. _Hmm_. _Showing them their biggest fear usually works._ After reading his mind, she found what she was looking for. She manipulated his mind so it looked like all of his friends were dead.

Captain America's broken shield was laying on the ground along with all of Iron Man's team members. When iron Man approached Captain America, Captain America grabbed Iron Man's hand. "You could have saved us," He whispered. "Why didn't you do more?"

Iron Man leaped back, his eyes wide with horror.

Pietro ran to Wanda, who was hiding in the shadows. She stopped him from going after Iron Man. 'Are you just going to let him take it?"

Wanda smiled. _Yes._ She told him in his mind. _Just wait. Everything will make sense soon._

They watched Iron Man take the scepter and leave. Little did they know, the events that they had just set in motion.

Wanda clasped Pietro's hand and laid her head on his shoulder. "You know, sometimes it seems like it is just us against the world."

"I think it is just us against the world." Pietro kissed her forehead. "But maybe that is okay. We will be fine."

Wanda smiled at him. "As long as we have each other."

* * *

 _A.N- So this was the last chapter :,( I am glad I have been on this journey with all of you. The first chapter for Did You see the Flares should be up sometime this week._

 _You should listen to the song Flares by the Script. That's my inspiration for Did you See the Flares._

 _Thank you everyone for all your reviews, favorites, and follows that encourage me so much. I had so much fun reading all of your reviews. I hope I did Wanda's and Pietro's characters justice._

 _If you want to see a really cool Wanda/Bucky video search youtube for Wanda Maximoff and Bucky Barnes: Did you see the flares? It is one of the most amazing videos I have ever seen._

 _Well, that's all. Goodbye, everyone! I will talk to you all again soon :D_


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